1991
The 1991 Setting refers to the massive setting overhaul seen in much of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. It is the main setting outside of the 1989 50 Blessings killings, the other one being the Hawaiian Occupation. Player Characters * The Fans * Manny Pardo * Martin Brown * Evan Wright * The Henchman * The Son New Primary Colors The pink and blue primary colors seen in the original game's logo are present in Hotline Miami 2's main menu and level select screen, but the Hotline Miami 2 logo and the color palette for many 1991 levels consist of darker purples and light greens, and levels often having dark purple and red floors and lacking the neon haze over areas present in many Hotline Miami levels such as Fun & Games. New Enemies Gray hoodie wearing anonymous Gang enemies are a prevalent aspect of the setting, and they're often seen gathering electronics illicitly, recreationally using drugs, and acquiring heavy firepower, just as the Fans do. Mark explicitly points out this parallel in the intro to Moving Up ("Kinda like this place, huh?"), while inspecting a new shipment of weapons.Ash' friend Andy wears the same clothing in No Mercy, and works in a chop shop with higher gang ties with the Colombians and the Russians ("hoodlums," according to the Son). Gang enemies appear in: * Down Under * Homicide * Moving Up * No Mercy * Execution * Into the Pit * Subway * The Abyss In addition, a real life Miami faction of Colombian cartel gangs, which Manny Pardo and the Son kill ruthlessly to forward their own reputations and sphere of influence, appear in: * Dead Ahead * Seizure * Blood Money * Takeover Drug Usage Explicit usage of cocaine in Seizure, marijuana by Alex Davis in Moving Up, and hallucinogens by the Son and the Henchman are depicted. Execution also features a drug storage facility on the second floor, Moving Up a bong on the top floor. In 1989, in Withdrawal, Jake clears out a meth lab with the 1991 primary colors, possibly "foreshadowing" the 1991 setting. Russians' Place in America The decreased Russian mafia prestige is seen in First Trial, where Petrov who formerly operated in Hotline Miami's largest level, Hot and Heavy, is reduced to a two screen bath house and casino. He tells Evan the Russian mafia infrastructure was completely destroyed in 1989. Several newspapers hint at heightened Russian hate crime rate, and violent anti-Russo American Coalition protest rallies. (No Mercy outro, First Blood intro) The Son wants to heighten the sphere of Russian mafia influence to make his Father proud (Blood Money). The Henchman is resigned to Russians' decreased position, and is shown reading an article of Russian hate crimes after resigning from the mafia (No Mercy). Media and Violence An increased focus on media is indicated by both Manny Pardo and Martin Brown, who work both sides of the media/violence fence (Final Cut, Caught). Mark follows movie news in the intro to Into the Pit. The Gang in Down Under have many boxes of entertainment equipment, and the Swans' apartment features several large entertainment systems. Technology's Increased Role Alex and Ash, are heavily reliant on technology to organize jobs and kill people. Ash fixes the van and opens security doors, and the two are shown to have many elaborate phone rigs in both their apartment and the Fan hideout. Neither have the gameplay option of picking up melee weapons. Tony, who lacks technical skills and is unemployed, is aimlessly aggrivated at everyone, and repeatedly outdone by distanced characters who have guns (Jack's sister, Manny Pardo, the Son). The Son's tower in Death Wish is an office space packed with computers, presentatiom tech, and arcade games, all of which he attempts to destroy out of apparent frustration in Apocalypse. Urban Decay In the outro to First Trial, Evan says he'll "risk" the bus, implying it's dangerous to take. In Subway, this wariness of public transportation comes up again when the Gang Leader's gang has apparently taken over an entire subway station. Newspapers indicate hate crimes a protest rallies are at a high point.